Sonja Toepfer

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Portrait of Sonja Toepfer.jpg

Sonja Toepfer (born March 5, 1961 in Offenbach ) is a German video artist and author from Wiesbaden . In her artistic work, she deals in particular with aspects of memorial work and religion.

The first years

After three years in an infant home, Sonja Toepfer grew up with her grandmother. From 1981 to 1986 she studied sociology and film studies with a focus on objective hermeneutics with Ulrich Oevermann . She has two daughters.

Media attention

During a performance at DOCUMENTA (13), the artist gave away test tubes filled with cooking oil and fake blood to visitors with the words: “This is my blood, this is my pain, this is my strength, it is for you, take it and pay attention on them. ”Because of the carelessly left test tubes, filled with potential explosive liquids, a building was evacuated by the police, whereby the performance was reported across Europe.

On behalf of the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau , the filmmaker researched the role of medicine in homes in the post-war period and uncovered that the psychiatrist Willi Enke had performed pneumoencephalographs on children in homes without medical necessity in the Hephata children's and youth home in Hesse . The Gießen medical historian Volker Roelcke was commissioned by the Hephata Diakonie to come to terms with the first reports. The exact results can be expected in autumn 2018. The EKHN made the film public for everyone on youtube in June 2018. Ultimately, in the final report by Prof. Volker Roelcke, the research purpose of the former psychiatrist was confirmed at a press conference, the Hephata Diakonie published the report for everyone on the Internet in February 2019.

Works

Important work (selection)

  • 1/2005 Mainz, Netzwerk Recherche: Anniversary film 10 years of media-critical journalism on ZDF . Co-author, director: Eva Franz
  • 12 / 2006-2007-2008 - Zurich, advent calendar with 24 art films and a seven-day countdown on the opening page of the ecumenical media portal of the Catholic Swiss Church
  • 09/2008 Wiesbaden, Westendkuratorium: "Conversation with Death" (room installation)
  • 09/2008 Wiesbaden, Palliative Congress : "Memorial Voices" (video installation)
  • 06/2009 - Angers / France, Bon Pasteur Accueil: “Breaking the Borders”, interview film with OmU in collaboration with Eva Franz
  • 06-12 / 2009 Kelkheim, Klosterkirche Kelkheim: "vonorten - A century / a church / a film prayer" (Urban Screening)
  • 04/2010 Frankfurt / Wiesbaden / Hamburg, "Hypostase Requiem" (video installation)
  • 01/2011 - 01/2013 Dresden / Bautzen / Meißen / Gera / Prague / Freiburg: “ Andritzki . Confession "(art film and room installation)
  • 03/2011 Los Angeles, New Wave International Film Festival: “ Andritzki Confession” (art film): Awards at the New Wave Film Festival: Honorable Mention Award and Best Costume Award Experimental Short Film
  • 10/2011 Frankfurt Exhibition video in the Dommuseum Frankfurt about Peter Zumthor , winner of the art and culture award of the German Catholics
  • 10/2011 Cologne, ART.FAIR : "everywhere + here" (picture sculptures)
  • 01/2012 Munich, Galerie Stephan Stumpf: "everywhere + here" (art video)
  • 03/2012 Freising, Dombergmuseum , "zu Staub" (solo exhibition room installation)
  • 05/2012 Kassel, DOCUMENTA (13) : "Hypostase Requiem" (performance)
  • 01/2013 Mainz, Dominican: "14 + 1 thought" (spatial object)
  • 03/2015 Wiesbaden, film premiere "HEAD HEART TABLE - Childhood without parents"
  • 2016 Documentary experimental film "GOTT IM TRANSIT" (with English subtitles) on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the Dominicans . World premiere on October 5, 2016 in Mainz
  • 2016/17 Closed youth work center Torgau "HEAD HEART TABLE - Childhood behind walls"
  • 2017/2018 EKHN "KOPF HERZ TISCH³ - The Psychiatric Childhood The Role of Medicine in Welfare Education from 1950 to 1975"

Articles in specialist books

  • Rudolf Englert, Stephan Leimbruber: Adult education confronts religious plurality . 2005, ISBN 3-451-28617-3 .
  • Charles Martig, Leo Karrer (Ed.): Eros and Religion . Schüren, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89472-480-1 .
  • Anna-Laura and Nikolaus de la Iglesia, Charles Martig (ed.): Sonja Toepfer. Zu Staub . Schnell & Steiner, 2012, ISBN 978-3-7954-2612-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sonja Toepfer: Imprint. Retrieved January 23, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Suspicious ampoules trigger police operations. In: Spiegel online. Retrieved January 23, 2017 .
  3. ^ New Osnabrück Newspaper . June 21, 2012.
  4. ↑ Harald Kimpel on 60 years of documenta and its scandals, Kassel, December 2015, right : 60 years of documenta scandals. Retrieved February 18, 2017 .
  5. ^ Sonja Toepfer: The role of medicine in welfare education 1950-1975. Retrieved June 26, 2018 .
  6. ↑ fr: Heimkinder in Hessen: tormented for research purposes. Retrieved June 26, 2018 .
  7. ↑ EKHN - Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau: KOPF HERZ TISCH 3 - The role of medicine in home education. A film by Sonja Toepfer. July 5, 2018, accessed July 16, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Hephata Diakonie: Brain examinations on former children in care - Hephata - We about us. Retrieved March 11, 2019 .
  9. ↑ New Wave International Film Festival: SPRING 2011 FESTIVAL WINNERS. Retrieved February 5, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Investigation on children in care: Psychiatric childhood. In: FAZ. Retrieved March 18, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Toepfer, Sonja
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German video artist and author
DATE OF BIRTH March 5, 1961
PLACE OF BIRTH Offenbach